California brush fire spurs 1,500-plus evacuations

GLENDORA (AP) — One of several wildfires burning across California prompted widespread evacuations Monday in a central California foothill community near Yosemite National Park, authorities said.

More than 1,500 residents and guests at four hotels near the community of Oakhurst have been told to seek shelter in town, said Erica Stuart, a spokeswoman for the Madera County Sheriff's Office. Oakhurst is about 16 miles away from an entrance to Yosemite National Park.

Nearly 3,000 residents were notified by phone of the fire, but not all of those people were told to leave their homes, Stuart said.

The fire has burned 200 acres, an area about 1/3 of a square mile, state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said.

There have been no reports of injuries or destroyed buildings, and the fire's cause remains unknown, Berlant said.

Also Monday, a surging wildfire in Kern County some 50 miles northeast of Bakersfield was threatening buildings and bringing evacuations.

The fire in Wofford Heights near Lake Isabella has grown to about slightly more than 1 square mile, or 800 acres, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Officials said structures were threatened and homes were being evacuated, but it wasn't clear how many homes or people were involved.

Northeast of Los Angeles, crews were making quick work of a 275-acre wildfire that forced the evacuation of 200 people from a campground and recreational areas.

The blaze that broke out Sunday afternoon above the foothill community of Glendora was 40 percent contained Monday and largely reduced to smoking embers thanks to an aggressive air and ground response, Forest Service spokesman Nathan Judy said.